The Opelousas courier., 1887-11-19

vASAAB anu bO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 10 TUE General
be compromised and the ieas9 eS-
tended, and that lease EXISTS to-day.
4Hfi M Contract n and ili obiiGge eaFrhoh be 9e eo1 IA e e5s
change. But upon that point, wat would
McEnery have done if he had had an opgpr-
tunity to terminate, or modify the lease2 The
answer is in this fact, that last year the les
sees went to the City of New York and there
entered into contracts and obligations to
farm out the %conyicts of the State 10 bs
worked by a foreign corporation. A New
York corporation TO work the conylct9 Of
Louisiana! Instantly upon the interview OF
the lessee appearing i'll the New Orleans
papers, Gov, McEnery wrote precautionary:
Il have instructed the State engineer to
TAXI POSSESSION OF THE CONvICTs
and place them at work upon the leyees OF
the State" loud acclamatlons.l
But I am told the laboring men say the con-
victs should not be worked upon the levees.
E EseFg o iflo05sn ssT oTga the TorPih m Of 5i!f the hey co o.
victs upon the leyees, because If t4ey are
worked in the Penitentiary, upon. industrial
and mechanical trades and callings, then
with free labor. [Applause.l Moreover, he
State Democratic Convention settled that
question at its last session, where, by a yGta
yicts should be worked upon the levees. So
/ think we ought not to hear much more
upon that question.
Now, what was tho course of Gov. Nc
ElltI9b lIltIitS Ii AldCl1lS lliLl DEIcLS l4iO
people of this State for r~enomiDationt Did
they come out and assault any gentleman
whose name had been mentioned for that
office7. Was it not simply 2 NODES snbmtss
sion of his name along with the names OF
other distinguished citizens of the State.
and expressly declaring that we did not de-
sire to take from any citizen any. credit
a calm. fair and dispassionate discussion Of
the administration over which he presided?
How was that met? In the first place, we
are told that 2 circular had been sent ont by
before the letter of Col. Hollingsworth to
Gen. Nichols. Why state that to these
who know the interior history of the
politics of the Slater We know that
that candidacy was decided upon IL
1885, and that every agency that could
be brought about to invoke the strong arm
Of the Federal power and patronage to come
down here into Louisiana and control our
local politics has been at work eyer SINCE
1885. We were notified at Washington, in
| 1885, when this question OF the distribution
Of Federal patronsge was under oiscnss4on'
ernor of this State, and that was accompa-
MED by the declarations that Ii necessary "0
would
BE BEATEN BY THE coLoRED VOTE.
But we are met by the declaration that the
nomination of Gen. Nichols is necessary for
the redemption of the, State. No man in
this State will go further than I in p&ying
tribute to Gen. Nichols as & soldier, as an
of that high Office honestly and faithfully to
the best of his ability. OF that | have not
the slightest doubt, and | will take this op-
pOrtunlty to meet the question put to me by
q distinguished gentleman. Of this parish.
Why do you charge Gen. Nichols wItE an
intention to AfricaniZe this State ?" The
no man speaking, froma the stump from
which l have spoken bS} made such an as
s~ertion. That was simply another man Of
straw put up to be knocked down again by
thelr W people. We have never made that
But, when you ask me as man who has
given the best wears of his life to secure the
redemption 9f tbs state from R1dlcalls1n.4 to
right of criticism. 1t is an honest criticism.
I do not intend it to be an unkind criticism,
but, nevertheless, have my convictions,
speak his views, as a man who has a family
in this State and children growing up, l have
a right to consider the effect not only Of the
EXECUTIVE function, but The effect OF his
sons why I am not willing to invest Gen.
Nichols with the political leadership in this
] State. | do not believe, as | said before, that
it is his intention to AfricaniZe the State, or
TO restore those memorable conditioHds from
which we have escaped, buhI do believe this:
l believe that under a white mans govern
ment the colored people OF THIS. State
peace with their n%eighbors. They are build
ing schoolhouses. or the white citizens are
bui' ding them for them. They are turning
their efforts toward the industries, and at
last they have an opportunity of lettering
their condition and bettering the CONDITION
of the families that they are raising. l haze
not heard it charged that under Saml ID. Nc
Enery's administration the property orrlghts
of any colofed man have been affected. /
have heard universal testimony from the
leaders of that ace that he has never failed
in an opportunity to promote their welfare.
It is not 10 the
5 INTEREST OF THE coLoRED PEOPLE,
nor the interest of the white people Of this
State that the conditions that prevailed in
the unhappy past should be restored in part
or in whole.
You ask mo how are the policies Of Gen.
Il Nichols to be conducive to the restoration OF
Y any of those old conditions?
Ianswer that | do not believe that Gen.
conditions shall be restored, nor do I
e mink that he believes they would be under
sreG1s policy. but the inevitable political concll-
sion that reach big i that w sla g Gen H. Nichols aads
commission, that he believes in the oblitera-
ton of the color line in politics, such would
be the result of its practical application. Fol
for those for whom 1 labor, the intelligence
and civilization of this State shall rule Zap
plausel, and I will not consent that there
shall be injected into the party to WHICH the
!, that is bound to work. it's disintegration.
: [Applause.1 You are living happily and al
peace with your colorod ~neighqors: those
| who have affiliated yi5h. the Democratic
party have done so under influences or fol
, concessions to their. material welfare thai
have not heretofore been seriously prejudi
e ia. rit to the bI public With go f5is Or Sopd gsr y
; the restoration. of political I5wer
, in proportion to their numbers, he'd Oh, to
them, under. the declaration that the colol
line is to be obliterated i'll politicsin this and
, other parishes of this State, will come the
. organization, under selfish leadership, that
will place the balance of power in the hands
of the colored voters wherever the Demo
Gratis are divided, and that is unfortunately
! the case in many parishes of this State. Fol
Q lowed out to its logical result the eoloret
D tote would decide the choice, of the Democ
: racy of the State from. constable mp to Gov
!. ernor, or at least could override the voice 0
the majority of all the white Democrats o
. the State. [Applause.l
? The worst men in your own ranks to secur
! power will make these combinations, organ
1 tally be restored the condition from which
would preserve my State and my party
. Continued APPLAUSE
- THERE IS ANOTHER POLITICAL ACT
n of Gov. Nichols to which Democrats and cit
izens of the State have o right to object. YoI
e all know that although the State victory wa
l. won in 1876 the leading Radicals lied int
their ~strongholds in the richest parishes o
the State where they continued 70 carry O.
their reign. of spoliation, SO that only i
1878 was the final victory. won. When tn
q whole State was redeemed, charges wer
II made against citizens OF Tensas and agams
many leading citizens OF the State, an
& eighty or ninety Of them were dragged be
fore the Federal courts. These men were nc
,e desperadoes, or men whose names had pee
re- tarnished. They had led blameless lives, an
it some of them were then wearing the Judlcis
c. ermine of Louisiana.
ic IN the Tensas case Gov. Nichols was sgii
1t to condemn his acknowledgements before the
could be tried BY q Jury Line tnelf h cond1btF dngs